The Biggest Text Game in New Zealand’s History

04 March 2005

The Biggest Text Game in New Zealand’s History Plays Out

The age-old game of Rock, Paper, Scissors took on a new dimension in an experiential marketing event which generated 2.1 million mobile oriented text messages over a 12-day period.

Telecom’s RPS027 text game broke new ground by being the biggest ever to be played in New Zealand and the largest TXT Rock Paper Scissors in the world.

Primarily aimed at the ‘youth’ market, RPS027 was conceived and developed by TOUCH/CAST, an experiential marketing agency wholly owned by Clemenger BBDO.

Lee Parkinson, a partner in TOUCH/CAST, said: “RPS027 was a fully integrated event involving a text engine, website, wapsite, traditional advertising and programming content. The event showed how New Zealand is moving from a market where marketing is seen as an interruption, to one of market experience and engagement.”

A number of parties worked together to make the event happen including: Run the Red who built and managed the text engine and CanWest who became the exclusive media partner.

The media elements included radio and television advertising and five half hour RPS challenge TV shows, where VJs from different genres played against each other to play the music videos of their choice, and a TV Finale.

To add even more international credibility to the stature of this event, TOUCH/CAST also enlisted the endorsement of the World Rock Paper Scissor Society to RPS027, and Graham and Doug Walker the co-founders of the world society came down form Canada and Prague to officiate at the televised finals.

Telecom Mobile’s Head of Marketing, Kevin Bowler, said: “ RPS027 was a massive success for Telecom Mobile. Not only in terms of the scale of the game and the fact that it has become the biggest txt game in New Zealand, but it was great fun for our loyal customers”.

The event was initially ‘teased” with an online viral campaign for 8 days prior to the launch of the ‘sign-up phase’ for the tournament. With the additional lure of prizes, the knockout tournament attracted over 85,000 registered players over 12 days of intense competition. Once down to 8 finalists, they fought each other in a one-hour televised finale show to decide who would be the last player standing, and the person to take on The Machine in the final confrontation.

Lee Parkinson said: “With players aged between 10 years and well into their 50s, this tournament proved beyond doubt that ‘youth’ is not a demographic – youth is an attitude.”

ENDS

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